I am currently working as a Postdoctoral scholar at Duke University following my PhD work as a Graduate student in Dr. Staci Bilbo’s lab. My primary research interests are focused on how the immune system (specifically microglial cells in the brain) interact with the brain in development and disease. I enjoy utilizing computational methods to accelerate, automate, and facilitate novel discoveries. I also have extensive experience with wet-lab neuroscience techniques and questions. I have received both private and public funding for my work, and have published my findings in many high-impact journals including Immunity and Nature Metabolism.

Outside of research, I am passionate about teaching in the classroom, mentoring in the lab, and making data more accessible to other scientists and the public.

This is an image showing a microglia, my favorite cell type in the brain. These little cells are the resident macrophages (immune cells) in the brain and can serve many different functions that are important for its survival. In addition to cleaning up debris and protecting the brain from infection, more recent studies (including my own from earlier this year) have demonstrated that microglia are crucial for refining and maintaining connections between neurons. These cells control this process, which is a necessary step in neurodevelopment, but can be dangerous in cases of neurodegeneration.